COMPASSION IS THE HEART OF SPIRITUALITY

COMPASSION IS A FEELING DEEP WITHIN US TO CARE FOR OTHERS

Compassion is a "quivering of the heart",to open up the heart to expand it to care for others ,a good exercise for your heart muscle and a way of acting Divine . Compassion first allows you to feel the pain and suffering in the world, including your own ,you don't turn away from pain but move toward it and start caring for people who suffer from hurt , you Identify with their distress. It widens to include apart from humans other creatures, nature, and the inanimate.Mother Teresa, Buddha ,Jesus are well known exemplars of compassion.

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COMPASSION IN LATIN MEANS CO SUFFERING OR TO SUFFER TOGETHER

To be compassionate, you must feel empathy and recognize that there is no separation between you and the person you are interacting with. Compassion does not mean doing for someone else what they can do for themselves but doing that for them what they are incapable of doing to alleviate their suffering .Pity means feeling sorry only .Pity leads to compassion . Sometimes the best compassion can be is to refrain from injuring them further. Spiritually evolved people from all religions teach compassion .

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SELF COMPASSION IS THE FIRST STEP TO HAVE COMPASSION FOR OTHERS

When showing compassion to others you may experience common negative attitudes, waiting to close your heart again such as judgment and all its associated "isms": racism, sexism, ageism, classism, and nationalism.They sabotage your compassion by feelings of ill will ,spite and malice for others These feelings arising out of emotional wounds and personal pain show that you need compassion for yourself first so that you can breathe you own humanity into each situation and transmit that energy into kindness to others.

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SELF COMPASSION MEANS TO BE KIND HUMANE AND MINDFUL TOWARDS YOURSELF

We can't get exactly what we want. When we deny this reality our suffering increases in the form of stress, frustration, and self-criticism. When this reality is accepted with sympathy and kindness, emotional equanimity and peace is experienced .Suffering and personal inadequacy is part of the shared human experience ,something that we all go through, rather than something that happens to “me” .Mindfulness requires that we should not be “over-identified”or be caught up with negative thoughts and feelings

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WITH SELF COMPASSION YOU VALUE YOURSELF

Value yourself not because you’ve judged yourself positively and others negatively but because you’re deserving of care and concern like everyone else. Where self-esteem leaves us powerless and distraught, self-compassion is at the heart of empowerment, learning, and inner strength.Treat yourself like your best friend,see failure and criticisms as learning opportunities to grow .Self-compassion triggers oxytocin release “cuddle hormone," which gives feelings of well-being, allowing us to hold the truth without attacking ourselves.

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COMPASSION IS SPIRITUALLY SUPERIOR TO LOVE AND FORGIVENESS

To love and forgive you must believe that you and I are separate and that I can judge you. Love and forgiveness beget Judgement I feel superior to you because I love and forgive you whether you deserve it or not. The two cannot be separated. In order to love unconditionally, you also must forgive unconditionally. Whereas to feel compassion, you must recognize that there is no separation between you and the other person therefore there is no judging .Compassion requires a higher level of spiritual maturity.

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COMPASSION REINFORCES CHARITY ,EMPATHY AND SYMPATHY

Attitudes such as "whatever", "who cares" and "so what?" dominate our thoughts. This apathetic attitude blinds us from seeing the harassed, the helpless, the abused, the broken and the oppressed. It emotionally insulates us from feeling the pain of others.Apathy is disgusting.The practice of compassion breaks this ,it increases our capacity to care for such individuals and our heart opens to give what we can Showing compassion is a glimpse into the heart of God ,"I was hungry, and you gave me to eat,I was homeless, and you took me in "

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TO BE COMPASSIONATE ONE NEEDS TO ...

LISTEN to the person with undivided attention suspending all judgement This starts the healing . RESPOND TO THE EMOTION not to the actual words. When you try to refute their anger with literal words the person becomes more insistent of his anger but when you understand and respond to the underlying emotion, they trust and open up. REPLENISH YOUR SOUL with self compassion and self love to practice compassion.See the person AS A WHOLE do not lose sight of all their positive qualities when they are acting negative

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IN COMPASSION YOU NEED TO PUT YOURSELF IN THEIR SITUATION MENTALLY

A father and his 3 children got on a bus .The father was lost in his own thoughts, and the kids, being unsupervised, were loud and disruptive to the other passengers. A lady harshly reprimanded the father “Why don't you control your children , they are so unruly.” The father, shaken from his reverie, says, “I’m so sorry. Their mother, my wife, just died and we are returning from her funeral. I think we are all a little overwhelmed. I apologize.” We are often unaware of the pain another person carries inside and tend to rub the person the wrong way .

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LET COMPASSION FLOW FROM YOUR HEART NOT FROM YOUR MIND

Some times when we fail in our efforts let's forgive ourselves , after all we are just as human as anyone else .No one is perfect and neither are we As long as our intentions and efforts are in the right direction it does work out in the end. We need to remain open to hear and let everyone be our teacher so that we know where we have fallen short .In truth we will find that we have more in common with them than we may think. Think about it! What role has compassion played in your life? Please share so we may learn from each other.